Page:Motoring Magazine and Motor Life July 1915.djvu/8

6 When any one tells Mr. More of the More Automobile Company in St. Louis, Mo., that he can’t make his Marmon “41” do stunts, he steps right up with an offer of $25 that he can, and then goes ahead and does them. We will quote from one of the St. Louis papers about what Mr. More made his car do, and will simply remind you that the car was equipped with Goodrich Silvertown Cord Tires–in fact, Mr. More said that he would use nothing else.

“The car was first driven from the foot of the hill to the top, with the gear lever in high. At Fourteenth street, which is half-way to the top of the hill, More made a complete circle with the car in order to destroy the momentum. The car went over the top of the hill at fifteen miles an hour. The car was next driven up the hill in high, with the motor throttled down to four miles an hour. More then took the car to the top of the hill, set his gear lever in reverse, threw out his clutch and coasted down the hill for about a block. By this time the car had attained a speed of twelve miles an hour. More then threw in his clutch, which brought the car to a stop within ten feet, and backed up the hill again at a good rate of speed. There was no perceptible jar or jolt, and the clutch or transmission seemed in no way injured. The strain on the rear axle must have been severe, for the odor of burning rubber was perceptible when the tires spun. More also shifted gears a number of times without releasing the clutch.”

Detroit, Mich.–The seven thousand-foot Lincoln Highway film which is being taken by the Association is now practically half completed, and the first several thousand feet have been developed and shown in private to Lincoln Highway officials here. The interest and beauty of this section, taken across the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, exceeds even the sanguine expectation of the men who are directing the filming of the cross country road.

The film is a panorama of some of the most beautiful country to be seen east of the Rocky Mountains, and the interest of the observer is held closely as city after city stage extravagant expositions before the camera’s eye. The Lincoln Highway interest which exists across the East and Middle West is shown in a wonderful degree by the thousands who swarm and cheer before the camera at every stopping place.

That the film will form a valuable historical record of the progress of good, permanent roads in this country is certain. A glimpse of every kind of road now in use in this country is afforded, and doubtless our ancestors at some later date, when this country will boast a nation-wide system of roads such as is common in Europe to-day, will look with interest at the evolution of the road from the virgin clay to the perfect cement boulevards which are springing up now in sections along every part of the Lincoln Highway.

On June 1st of the current year the number of automobiles in the United States for the first time reached 2,000,000. Figuring on an average of four persons to each car, which is very conservative, there are 8,000,000 people in this country in daily enjoyment of motoring. What it costs to follow this sport is of interest, because of the stupendous figures involved. To run 2,000,000 cars for one year requires at the very least 1,000,000,000 gallons of “gas” worth $130,000,000; 20,000,000 gallons of lubricating oil worth $8,000,000; 12,000,000 tires, worth not less than $16 apiece, or $192,000,000; accessories and extra comforts, goggles, gloves and caps, $50 per car, or $100,000,000; garage charges on short tours (exclusive of gas and oil), $100 per car per year, or $200,000,000; repairs made necessary by wear, tear and accident (exclusive of tires), $50 per car per year, or $100,000,000. Total running expenses for all cars in use, $730,000,000. Add thereto the value of the 600,000 new cars purchased during the year, at an average price of $750, or $450,000,000, and we get the immense total of $1,180,000,000 spent in a single year (1915) on the sport of motoring.–Scientific American.

In recent times the question has been asked quite often whether and to what extent an electric automobile might take the place of one driven by gasoline. Here it may be mentioned that the German name “Benzinmotorwagen” is simply the traditional name of an automobile originally driven by gasoline, but such automobiles can now be driven well and economically, too, by benzol, alcohol and various mixed fuels. In this respect, the experiences gained during the war have been surprisingly gratifying even for older machines. In comparing an electric with an internal combustion motor car it is sufficient to consider just two points of difference in order to decide under what conditions one car may replace the other. A person making short trips about the city may well get along with an electric automobile with one battery. A taxicab company, however, must have at least two batteries for each car, one of which is being charged while the other is at work. Even so, the business of running taxicabs in a large city has its difficulties, for unexpected lengthy trips may lead to an exhaustion of the accumulators, which means an economic loss. The conditions are much more favorable when an electric automobile is employed as a delivery wagon by department stores, breweries, etc. In that case trips are, as a rule, similar, and it can easily be calculated whether the car will return strong or nearly exhausted.
 * 1) The electric automobile carries a comparatively small supply of energy, whereas the other type of motor car will go eight to ten times farther. If an electric were to be built for long trips it would be too heavy; an internal-combustion motor car, however, can easily be built for a range two or three times larger than the one now usual.
 * 2) An internal-combustion motor car can be supplied with new energy in a few minutes, whereas it takes several hours to charge the storage battery of an electric automobile.

The conditions are even more favorable for omnibus lines, such as have been operated in Vienna for some time as an experiment. Here, too, the distance which a battery must cover before being replaced is perfectly known beforehand, and both the size of the battery and the time table can easily be arranged so that one battery will suffice for a round trip of about 18 miles. The principal municipal line in Vienna is served by 13 electric omnibuses with 34 batteries, 3 of the cars being held in reserve. In large cities the electric omnibus possesses two remarkable advantages over the internal-combustion motor car–it does not throw out any exhaust gases or produce clouds of smoke and its motor stops whenever the omnibus stops, whereas the internal-combustion motor must be kept running and usually makes a great noise.

It is, therefore, in but few cases and only under special circumstances that an electric automobile can be employed to advantage as a substitute for an internal-combustion motor car.

—The State Highway Commission has taken over and will further improve Dublin Boulevard, a famous scenic road in Alameda County, connecting Hayward and Dublin Station.